I've made several G-4 packs and packs derived from the G-4 model. If you work with the plans provided by Quest Outfitters and use the material they recommend you should have no problems making one assuming you have some basic sewing skills. Personally, I would recommend that you go with the sewn in padding for the shoulder straps and hip belt; using dirty socks and dirty underwear as padding lacks elegance at best. There are a few places where you want to proceed carefully. It is easy to make the pack with the sewn in tie loops inside the mesh pockets if you aren't paying attention. PM me if you have more specific questions. BTW, I don't like the bulge on the pack bottom and have revised the design so the pack is straight up and down and will handle a large bear can horizontally. I would not be inclined to use either spinnaker fabric or cubin fiber for a pack but obviously the folks at Zpacks don't agree.